Hi Dave!
I have read some of the answers you have got and I agree with some of them
but not all. If you want to improve drainage to your soil and in long term
the overall structure of your soil, you should add as much coarse organic
material as you can and work it in every year. The topsoil amendment will
not do much to the texture of the clay soil. You shouldalso add plenty of
lime as this also will add to improve your soil.
Bengt.

"Dave" *m skrev i meddelandet
...
Hi all,

We had a local landscape company help us design and prepare some
garden beds. Around here we have almost entirely red clay soil. The
consultant arranged to have 2-3 inches of topsoil and leaf mold put on
top of the new beds. I asked him about the need to work it in. He
said that he's be wasting my money if he were to try to roto-till it
in. And that as I planted the ammendments would work themselves in
and also eventually leach down into the existing clay soil. When I
plant perrenials I'm trying to mix the ammendments in as much as
possible, but I also worry that the clay around the hole will still
keep rainwater around the roots and rot my plants.

Also, we want to put down lanscape fabric (over the ammendments but
under the mulch), but will this keep mulch and other organic matter
from eventually mixing with the soil? How about preventing plants
like daylillies or back-eyed susans from propagating?

Thanks in advance!

Dave M.